Two Kennett-area nursing homes ranked best in Chester County

Courtesy photo
Some of the staff at the Kendal-Crosslands Communities Nursing Residency.

By FRAN MAYE

fmaye@21st-centurymedia.com

Two nursing homes in the Kennett area earned the top rating from the federal government in quality of care service from Medicare.gov, the official U.S. government site for Medicare.

Kendal-Crosslands and Kendal at Longwood both earned a 5-star rating. Only one other nursing facility in Chester County -- Freedom Village in West Brandywine Township -- earned a 5-star rating.

The ratings are derived from a combination of periodic health inspections, quality of staff, and measures the nursing home facility takes to correct inadequacies. The extensive report contains quality of care information on every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country, including over 15,000 nationwide.

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“We have very high standards of care,” said Phil DeBaun, chief executive officer of Kendal-Crosslands Communities. “We are committed to the belief that human life is sacred and that all people are to b e treated with dignity and respect.”

DeBaun said staff plays a crucial role in providing exceptional service and care of the residents.

“Kendal has worked to transform our culture’s view of aging and older persons, stressing the potential for fulfillment and continuing contribution during the later stages of life,” she said.

DeBaun said staff constantly works with patients, looking for things like weight loss, and a decline in residents’ ability to be independent.

Kendal-Crosslands is a continuing care retirement community that offers independent living cottages and apartments, personal care, and skilled nursing and rehabilitation services on one campus. Both locations, Kendal at Longwood and Crosslands share a common border on over a 500-acre arboretum campus.

Celia Agustin, health care administrator at Kendal at Longwood, said the facility’s focus is maintaining residents’ well-being and preventive care; and promoting residents’ active participation in their health care decisions. “It’s our dedicated staff , teamwork, and our culture which is why we received this rating,” she said.

The skilled nursing residence at Crosslands is currently undergoing a transformation from the traditional structured medical model to a cozy and personal household model “This represents a departure from the traditional way of living in a long-term care environment and is a natural next step to the person-centered care approach that is central to our values”, says Cathy Emig, Health Care Administrator, Crosslands. The staff who care for residents come from many disciplines and together they maximize the resident’s capabilities, promote and encourage personal relations, all in a home-like environment with an expansive country kitchen, large living rooms, bright dining spaces, and many windows to bring the outdoor garden space indoors.

The Preston Residence, a skilled nursing home of Jenner’s Pond, Inc., in West Grove, also rated very high with an above average score.

“We attribute part of it to our staffing levels,” said Linda Wilmot, executive director. “I think our culture and our philosophy is the key. We believe in providing resident-centered care and services at a very high level. We look at family members as our customers as well.”

The government conducts the survey annually because nursing homes vary in the quality of care and services they provide to their residents. It allows consumers to review health inspection results, staffing data, and quality measure data and compare them to other nursing homes in the area.